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 Little League News |
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Bulletin from Little League International- League Age Changes
BASEBALL ONLY:
WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (January 11, 2005) USA Baseball, the governing body for amateur baseball in the United States, has recommended that the league age determination date be changed from July 31 to April 30, for the 2006 season for all of its members.
USA Baseball represents amateur baseball in the U.S. as a member of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and the International Baseball Association Federation (IBAF). Virtually every major national amateur baseball organization in the U.S., including Little League, is a USA Baseball National Member.
In Little League Baseball and Softball, for the remainder of the 2005 season and 2005 tournament play, a players league age remains his/her age as of July 31, 2005. The move by USA Baseball at its Jan. 8 meeting in Nashville, Tenn., recommends that the new date be implemented not later than 2007.
Little League applauds USA Baseball for taking this progressive step, said Stephen D. Keener, president and chief executive officer of Little League Baseball and Softball, and a Director of USA Baseball. The Little League International Board of Directors had previously reviewed the April 30 league age determination date, and had authorized Little League to move forward with the April 30 date if other members of USA Baseball were in agreement. This spring, the April 30 date will go before the Little League International Board of Directors for formal approval to implement the change in 2006.
In 2003, the Little League International Board of Directors expressed support for the April 30 date. This spring, the board will meet to formally consider making the change to Little League regulations for the 2006 season.
The July 31 date has been used in Little League for nearly 60 years. In the 1950s, most baseball organizations followed Little Leagues lead in adopting the date, so that there would be a seamless transition if players moved from one program to another.
We have been examining and discussing this important issue for some time now, said Paul Seiler, executive director/CEO of USA Baseball. As an organization we feel as though this will be a positive change for our sport that will promote continued participation at critical junctures in an athletes development.
The chief reason for the April 30 date is so that most players on a team will spend the majority of the regular season at the same chronological age as their league age. Currently, players with May, June or July birth dates spend most or all of the season at a specific league age, even though they have not yet reached that age chronologically.
Monday, December 19
Bulletin from Little League International - Tournament Age Change
The name of the "11-Year -Old-Tournament" will now be the "10-and-11-Year-Old-Tournament," and will be for eligible players who are league age 10 and/or 11. Because of a number of requests from the field, the Tournament Committee felt that allowing league-age 10-year olds the opportunity to play in this tournament would provide more flexibility, and that fielding teams by local leagues would be easier.
It is important to note that players are still permitted to play on only one tournament team.
For softball, the Tournament Committee has approved a tournament structure that is identical to that of the regular season, for the teenage divisions.
Tournament teams in the teenage divisions will include the following ages:
Junior League: 13 and 14
Senior League: 13 to 16
Big League: 14 to 18
For example, a league-age 14-year-old playing Big League Softball in the regular season will have tournament eligibility in Junior, Senior or Big League. Again, such a player will be permitted to participate on only one tournament team.
Although the information above will not be reflected in the 2006 Rulebooks, it will be in effect for the 2006 season and beyond.
Please note:
1. Any league-age 12-year-old that has moved up to play one or more games in the Junior Division during the regular season will be eligible only for selection to a Junior Division Tournament Team.
2. The 9-10-Year-Old Tournament structure will remain the same, with ONLY those eligible players who are league age 9 or 10 being eligible for selection to this tournament team.
Monday, December 19
Bulletin from Little League International - Pitch Count Pilot Program
Background:
For all of Little League Baseballs history, and for the history of amateur youth baseball in general, pitching regulations have used innings pitched to determine pitcher eligibility. Recently, researchers and medical professionals in the field of sports medicine have been working to determine if the actual number of pitches thrown (i.e., pitch count) is a safer way to regulate pitching in youth baseball.
To prepare for the probability that a new regulation will be implemented (as soon as 2007), changing from limiting the innings pitched by a Little Leaguer to actual pitches delivered, Little League International is providing a pilot program that will help determine if this is feasible. If and when the regulation is implemented for the regular season, a regulation limiting the number of pitches a pitcher can deliver in a day also will be instituted for the International Tournament.
Known as the Pitch Count Pilot Program, this initiative is available for the 2006 regular season to any chartered Little League that chooses to participate. It is an extension of a similar successful test program conducted by a small number of leagues in 2005.
In the next few weeks, Little League International will advise local leagues on how to enroll online in the 2006 Pitch Count Pilot Program. Those leagues enrolling online will receive further information on tabulating pitch counts and maintaining these records.
During the 2006 season, and near its conclusion, Little League will conduct surveys of the leagues that are part of the Pitch Count Pilot Program and use those surveys to determine the feasibility of a new pitching regulation.
It is important to note that Little Leagues pilot program will not determine whether the revised regulations are of medical benefit to players. That is for medical professionals to determine, and their ongoing research is outside the purview of Little League.
However, the Pitch Count Pilot Program will help Little League create a model for the future.
(Note: This program is for the baseball divisions of Little League only.)
The Regulation:
For leagues that enroll in the Pitch Count Pilot Program and use a pitch count to determine eligibility, the regulation takes the place of Regulation VI in all baseball divisions for the 2006 Regular Season only.
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